(Yicai Global) Jan. 11 -- Eric Chen, former president of Airbus China Co., will replace Laurence Barron as its chairman, and Xu Gang became its chief executive on the same day, the company announced on Jan. 10 on its official Weibo account.

Xu Gang will fully manage Airbus's civilian aircraft business in China and will lead the development of its helicopter, defense and aerospace business in China.

Xu's connection with Airbus started in 2005, when he dived into work related to the Airbus A320 assembly line project while serving as director of the Tianjin Pilot Free-Trade Zone's Investment Promotion Bureau. Xu was appointed deputy general manager of Airbus (Tianjin) Final Assembly Co. in 2008, but continued to serve with the FTZ. Xu acted as chairman of Airbus (Tianjin) Final Assembly Co., and deputy general manager of Zhongtian Aviation Industry Investment Co. and as a member of the party organization of the Tianjin FTZ's management Committee from 2011 to 2014, China Aviation Daily reported yesterday.

Xu graduated from Tianjin University with a bachelor's degree in engineering information management systems. He also holds a master's degree in business administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago in the US state of Illinois and a doctorate in economics from Tianjin's Nankai University.